VIC 56

1945 Steam Ship

The VIC's mooring at Chatham Historic Dockyard

Visiting

VIC 56 is moored at Chatham Historic Dockyard, on the Medway. The Historic Dockyard is home to many fascinating ships and buildings, including a Second World War Destroyer, HMS Cavalier, the submarine HMS Ocelot, and a Victorian Sloop, HMS Gannet.

To find your way to the dockyard site, please follow the details for access by road, and by train or bus. The VICs current berth is on the riverside between HMS Cavalier and HMS Ocelot.

Open days

Each year, the dockyard holds a series of special weekends, including the Salute to the '40s weekend, and the Festival of Steam. During these weekends, the VIC is normally in steam, and open to visitors (access is dependent on the state of the tide). At other times, the VIC can be viewed from the dockside.

The VIC 56 also takes part in many events in and around the Thames and Medway, and the East Coast ports.

Recent events

These have included participation in the Thames Royal Jubilee Pageant, the Harwich Sea Festival in 2013, and recent perfomances by Richard Wilson and Zatorski & Zatorski's '1513: A Steam Opera' on the Thames in 2013, and 51° 21' 45" N, 1° 01' 13" E Whitstable Sounding' in 2014.

VIC 56 often attends the Swale Barge Match, most recently in 2016, and undertakes a series of trips each summer, such as attending the August 2017 'Something for the weekend' festival at Gravesend.